Secrets of a Painless Kitchen Remodel
You've had it. Your kitchen floor is old and stained,
your cupboards are so awkward its impossible to keep
them organized, your appliances falling apart by the
minute. You've wanted to remodel your kitchen for years,
but you fear you have neither the money nor the time to
embark on a lengthy, expensive remodel.
Never fear. Your kitchen remodel does not have to be a
punishing experience. Many homeowners decide to do the
work of a remodel themselves, opting to finish the work
on evenings or weekends. If you have a high tolerance
for disruption and want to get the most bang for your
buck, this may be the best option for your kitchen
remodel. However, it is probably not going to be
painless. Another thing to consider is to hire out all
the individual contractors for your remodel yourself.
For instance, you do the legwork and find a tile layer,
you decide who you want to install your sink and garbage
disposal and hook up the dishwasher. This may save you
some money, but certainly will not save you any time.
You'll spend hours asking friends and family who they
used for their kitchen remodel, and you'll want to also
be sure to check references and view samples of their
work for each one. When you consider how many different
people it takes to complete a remodel-plumber,
tile-layer, floor specialist, cabinet installer-to name
only a few, you can see that this is a time-consuming
occupation. Many people enjoy this process, but others
may be more comfortable with having one professional to
oversee the entire process of the kitchen remodel.
If you are without much time, and want a fairly painless
kitchen remodel, you would be well advised to hire a
professional contractor. This is perhaps the number one
secret to a painless kitchen remodel. A reputable
kitchen remodel contractor can save you hours of time in
finding and overseeing individual contractors, guide you
in design and configuration choices, and be your
hand-holder throughout the entire process. And let's
face it, while there are ways to make your kitchen
remodel as painless as possible, it's still going to be
a disruption of your home. Having a professional at your
side can ease a lot of the disruption.
How to find a kitchen remodel contractor? Word of mouth
is always a good starting point. Ask friends and family
for recommendations. Get online and check websites.
Browse your local yellow pages. Many large home
improvement stores offer contracting services, as do
smaller, local companies. Talk to several; have them
visit your kitchen so that you can discuss the specifics
of your remodel onsite. A remodel contractor will give
you ideas and present options you might not have thought
about.
Your next step is to get bids from all the remodel
contractors you've talked to. Then compare those bids,
but there are considerations beyond just price. Did you
feel the contractor understood the goals of your
remodel? Are your design ideas similar? Do you feel
comfortable personally with the contractor? You'll be
spending a lot of time together over the course of the
remodel, so this is important.
Once you've chosen the contractor, he can give you tips
on how to schedule and what to expect over the course of
the remodel. He'll be available to answer questions and
troubleshoot. Your remodel will be done before you know
it-and you'll be basking in the beauty of your new
kitchen.
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